


shocked, frozen solid

by staticbees



Category: The Stanley Parable
Genre: Gen, I'm pretty sure he's still on the loading screen, Kinda, coward ending, i don't think stanley knows what's going on, stanley waits., the narrator gets really frustrated
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-04
Updated: 2017-07-04
Packaged: 2018-11-23 02:31:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11393526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/staticbees/pseuds/staticbees
Summary: Time passed, and the commands failed to appear, yet Stanley still sat there, waiting. Surely, he thought, eventually, someone will come. They will speak to me. They will tell me what to do, and perhaps commend me for not leaving my post, despite the clear, obvious signs that something is very wrong, and the only way to find out what it is to get up and walk through the bloody door.





	shocked, frozen solid

“This is the story of a man named Stanley.

 

Stanley worked for a company in a big building where he was Employee #427. Employee #427's job was simple: he sat at his desk in room 427 and he pushed buttons on a keyboard. Orders came to him through a monitor on his desk, telling him what buttons to push, how long to push them, and in what order. This is what Employee #427 did every day of every month of every year, and although others might have considered it soul rending, Stanley relished every moment the orders came in, as though he had been made exactly for this job. 

 

And Stanley was happy.

 

And then one day, something very peculiar happened. Something that would forever change Stanley; something he would never quite forget. He had been at his desk for nearly an hour when he realized that not one single order had arrived on the monitor for him to follow. No one had shown up to give him instructions, call a meeting, or even say 'hi.' Never in all his years at the company had this happened, this complete isolation. Something was very clearly wrong.

 

Shocked, frozen solid, Stanley found himself unable to move for the longest time. But as he came to his wits and regained his senses, he got up from his desk and stepped out of his office.”

 

_ There’s a pause, and the Narrator clears his throat. _

 

“Perhaps you misunderstood. I  _ said _ , Stanley stepped out of his office,”  _ he repeats, firmer this time.  _

 

_ There’s a long silence. _

 

“Wh- Stanley, you haven’t even gotten up to close the door!”  _ he exclaims, disbelieving. _ “If you’re going to stay here for all eternity, you have to at least do something about it! I can’t begin the Coward Ending if you don’t even shut the door!” 

 

_ A long, drawn out sigh of disgust. _

 

“Fine. Stay there. See if I care.”

 

“Stanley sat in front of his computer, waiting patiently for instructions. He hadn’t yet gotten up from his seat, despite the fact that the door was wide open, right there, ready for him to walk through it. How  _ insipid _ ,”  _ the Narrator scoffed under his breath.  _

 

. . . 

 

“Stanley stared intently at the computer screen, most likely harming his vision in the process. What Stanley didn’t realize is that although there is no evidence that staring at a screen can cause permanent eye damage, it can cause many uncomfortable eye-related symptoms such as eyestrain, dry eyes, headache, fatigue, difficulty focusing, blurred vision, and shoulder and neck pain. See, Stanley? Google knows what’s best for you.” 

 

_ A pause. _

 

“Time passed, and the commands failed to appear, yet Stanley still sat there, waiting. Surely, he thought, eventually, someone will come. They will speak to me. They will tell me what to do, and perhaps commend me for not leaving my post, despite the clear,  _ obvious _ signs that something is _very_ wrong, and the only way to find out what it is to get up and walk through the  _ bloody _ door.” 

 

_ A few minutes pass, with no sign of movement. The Narrator grumbles with frustration.  _

 

“What did Stanley hope to gain from this fruitless endeavor? No orders would ever come through again. None of Stanley’s coworkers would ever return. They were erased, deleted. Gone. There, see, I spoiled the ending for you. Are you happy now, Stanley?”  _ A pause.  _ “Even so, despite the evidence sitting right in front of his face, he had made up his mind to cling to a foolish hope that everything would go back to normal, if he just stayed put.”

 

_ There’s no response, and the Narrator’s heart sinks. _

 

“Stanley? Can you hear me?”

 

. . .

 

“Stanley, please, the story needs you, it cannot exist without you. I need you to make a choice, I need you to step through this door. Just this once? Please? For me?” 

 

_ Stanley continues to stare at the computer, hands poised above the keyboard. The Narrator takes a deep breath, resigned.  _

 

“Fine, then, Stanley. I tried to give you a chance. But if you’re not going to make a choice, I’ll just have to make one for you.” 

 

_ Stanley doesn’t react. The Narrator hesitates a moment, before making up his mind.  _

 

“I hate to do this, Stanley, but you offer me no other options.  _ Restart _ .”


End file.
